Pennies on the Dollar

“We have only to open our eyes, and awaken to our predicament.” Alice Walker

Dark clouds massing over the American Riviera, thunder rolling in the distance. I stand on the deck and wonder if those clouds hold any promise of rain. Dry here, unseasonably warm day after day, heat close and oppressive, strength-sapping, sweat inducing. Rumors of El Nino, with the possibility of flooding, mudslides, all sorts of mayhem. The city fathers and mothers urge citizens to prepare by stocking sandbags and planning escape routes. Thunder rolls again, the dark clouds drift, night deepens. Let it rain, please let it rain. More thunder, a shot of lightning, and then a downpour, please.

I skipped the first Democratic debate, though I gather from media reporting – always suspect, I must add – that Clinton won though Bernie Sanders acquitted himself well, and compared to the GOP freak-for-all, this affair was like a convention of intellectuals. When the smoke clears and the noise fades and Bernie’s bumper stickers are peeling and faded, Clinton will be the nominee because she has the dough, the organization, the ground game, the name, the contacts. This is the stuff that matters in America, Inc., not merit, integrity, honesty or humility. Like her husband, Hillary Clinton speaks from both sides of her mouth, always has, always will; and like Bill, she tacks to the political wind. One minute she’s arguing vigorously for free trade and open markets, and the next she’s touting her total opposition to the TPP. Clinton flips and flops like a bass in the bottom of a boat. If you’re looking for change, Hillary isn’t your girl – she will defend the status quo to her last breath on the political stage. Hillary will support the absurd War on Terror, drone strikes, hysterical fear of Iran, and unqualified love for Saudi Arabia and Israel. Wall Street honchos will eat her lunch. She will sell her supporters out for pennies on the dollar, just like Bill did.

I’m a proud and unrepentant liberal so Bernie’s economic message is fine with me. Tax the obscenely rich and corporations, yes; make higher education more affordable, absolutely; increase the minimum wage, hell yes; protect Social Security and Medicare, damn right, whatever it takes. But Bernie is a no-go for me because of his unwavering support for the American war machine and Israel. If the United States is to recapture a shred of moral authority in the world it must begin to dismantle its far-flung empire, and start acting like an honest peace broker between Israel and the Palestinians. These are tall orders to be sure. While we are at it we should also tell the Saudis – those repressive head-chopping supporters of terrorism – to fuck off.

The field of presidential candidates is dismal, as always, and the mainstream media play it like a beauty pageant, deluge us with trivia, odds, and reports about the size of campaign coffers. Armed with disinformation, voters are exhorted to troop to the polls and cast their ballots, participate in our fabled democracy, legitimize the broken machine that will ultimately ruin us. 

I hear raindrops.